Wolf
Wolf (previously known as Mainland No. 12) is a tank engine who works on the mountain branch line of the Upper Valley Railway. Bio Originally, "No. 12" was originally built as a shunting engine for Keikan Island, while the two bigger engines, Hiro and Ryu, ran the line. His funnel didn't work properly when he was completed. It was later mended, but No. 12 became mute. After the line was closed in 1955, he was purchased and brought to the Upper Valley Railway, where he worked as a mixed traffic engine with Misaki. During the New Year's Blizzard of 1954, he was one of the engines to go up the Ice Line on the rescue mission. Later, he and Ryu stayed at the Valley Station for the New Year's celebration, against their Controller's orders. Battle for the Mountain In Battle for the Mountain, he rescued a visiting diesel, Big D, from crashing into the sea. He was rewarded with the chance to bring Hiro's new parts to the harbor, but he spent most of the morning working with Shane, and by the time we went to the Works to collect the parts, they had vanished. Later, he crashed into Kuro while trying to help Daichi stop runaway logs in the nearby river from hitting a dam. Despite these heroic efforts, the bus company filed a lawsuit against the UVR, and the Big Controller was sent away while a temporary Controller was sent by the Mainland to investigate the matter. Big D blamed No. 12 for all of the recent accidents, and the Temp ordered No. 12 to stay at the coal mine until he could figure out what to do with him. After nearly getting scrapped by the Keikan Island diesels while trying to deliver a generator, No. 12 returned home to discover Big D had been plotting against him. Big D challenged him to a race up the new mountain line, and the loser would "never be seen again". While the Temp struggled to manage the railway, No. 12 was was repaired as much as possible. During the race, he was switched off onto the Ice Line, and nearly fell to his doom when the old bridges fell apart under his weight. Luckily, he was rescued by Misaki, and No. 12 continued the race. Only a few yards from the station, he broke down, but still managed to reach the platform before Big D, who went sliding into a bank of snow. Afterward, Big D was sent away permanently, and No. 12 was sent to the Works for his well-deserved overhaul. He returned a year later, with new paintwork, an official number, and his new name Wolf. Persona He was originally a much more shy and timid engine, who was easily bullied by trucks and tended to panic when things went wrong. However, over the years, he has become a much more serious and bold engine. His best friends are Misaki and Ryu. He is often picked on by Grunt, though Grunt will occasionally show him mutual respect. Livery Wolf is painted dark blue with white stripes, with "UVR" on his tanks and his number on the side of his bunker. His wheels are the same blue with white tires. His name is written in black on gold nameplates, on each side of his cab. He was originally painted black with gold bands and fittings and red wheels, with his old number "12" painted on the sides of his tanks in white. Basis Wolf is based on the JNR Class 12 redesigned for standard gauge. These were built from 1932 to 1947, and 30 examples have been preserved. One of these engines lives in Taiwan, and is famously known as TRA CK124. Trivia *Wolf's original number, 12, came from his prototype. His official UVR number is 7. *The only time Wolf can talk is in his dreams, although he never knew or tried this until he met Lady. *Wolf's name comes from the wolves living on Mount Saiji, the only wolves left in all of Japan. His colors are inspired by the Silver Moon Express, a model train set used to promote awareness and conservation of wolves. *Wolf's new name and colors still hadn't been picked by the time Nanaki wrote the final chapter of Battle for the Mountain. In one script, he was even painted red instead of blue! Category:Steam locomotives Category:2-6-2 Category:Tank engines